****************************** * * * SAMURAI WARRIORS - Noh FAQ * * Created by Mythril Wyrm * * Version 1.21 * * * ****************************** Table of Contents I. Legal Notice/Disclaimer II. Update History III. About Nouhime IV. Unlocking Noh V. Noh's Vital Statistics A. Skill Tree 1. Might 2. Prowess 3. Guard B. Stats 1. Starting 2. Maximum C. Titles VI. Using Noh A. Noh's moveset 1. Regular attacks 2. Charge attacks 3. Mounted attacks 4. Other attacks B. Maximizing Noh's effectiveness VII. Noh's Weapons A. Tokage B. Kamakiri C. Kumo D. Mukade E. Hiruko 1. Obtaining the Hiruko 2. Is it worth using? VIII. Noh's Missions A. The Battle of Okehazama 1. Smokescreen 2. Help Hideyoshi 3. Lightning Battle 4. Storm Warning 5. Old Friend 6. All will be mine 7. The Imagawa 8. Faster than Shadow B. Siege of Inabayama Castle 1. One Night Castle 2. Get the Lumber 3. Clear the Fortress! 4. Ploy uncovered 5. Reckless Charge 6. Path of Thorns 7. Talented Youth 8. Clever Tactician 9. A Stern Man 10. Way of the Viper C. The Battle of Anegawa 1. Vanguard 2. Asakura's Fall 3. Keiji's Stand 4. Stronghold Defense 5. Side Attack 6. The Weak and the Strong 7. Tearful Revolution D. Betrayal at Honnouji (upper path) 1. Head for the Main Hall 2. Black Widow 3. Fiery Escape 4. Tragedy continues 5. Naivete 6. Impatience brings Death E. Gifu Infiltration (upper path) 1. Scurrying Vixen 2. Chasing Viper 3. Relentless Sniper 4. An Honest Man 5. Doom, for you 6. Gates of Hell 7. Principle and Conviction 8. Because... F. Betrayal at Honnouji (lower path) 1. Show me the Way 2. Protector of Love 3. The Long Path 4. Thorns G. Azuchi Infiltration (lower path) 1. Unsightly Beast 2. Sniper's Passion 3. Intruder! 4. Tokugawa Menace 5. The Interloper IX. Questions & Answers X. Special Thanks XI. Contacting Me To skip to a specific section, press Ctrl + F, type in a section name, and press Enter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Legal Notice/Disclaimer This FAQ is copyright 2004-2005 by Devin McCain. Presently, only the following websites have permission to host this FAQ: GameFAQs (http://www.gamefaqs.com) IGN (http://www.ign.com) Kongming's Archives (http://www.kongming.net) Neoseeker (http://www.neoseeker.com) Please notify me as soon as possible if you find it posted anywhere else. If you want to post this FAQ on your own website, you must first obtain my written permission and agree to leave the FAQ completely unchanged. If you post it without my permission or change it and try to pass it off as your own, there will be unpleasant consequences when I find out. Feel free to print a copy of this FAQ for personal use, but do not publish it or attempt to turn profit on it. I'm sharing it free of charge, so please respect that. All other copyrights and trademarks mentioned in this FAQ are the property of their respective owners. I do not claim to own any of them. This FAQ may contain spoilers. Continue reading at your own risk. I take no responsibility for any embarrassment, injuries, or deaths that result from the use of this FAQ or any of the information contained herein. If you're that stupid, it's your own damn fault. Got that? Good. Now, let's move on to the fun stuff... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- II. Update History v1.00 - Completed most sections. Will complete lists of titles and missions after working with Noh more extensively. v1.10 - Completed the title and mission lists, and made changes to several sections. v1.11 - Added an observation about Noh's T(TT) attack and some additional notes on her missions. Made minor changes to a few sections. v1.20 - Updated list of sites that have permission to post this FAQ, revised Noh's Skill Tree, corrected an answer to a question in the Questions & Answers section, and made minor changes to a few sections. v1.21 - Updated contact information. Made minor changes to a few sections. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- III. About Nouhime Information about Lady Noh (Nouhime) is scarce, but an account from the official Konan City website contains the following information about Nobunaga's relationship with her and his concubine Kitsuno: "Kitsuno was born in 1538 and according to Ikoma's record, the father was Iemune, the third generation of Ikoma family. She first married to Yaheiji Dota, however, Yaheiji died in the battle of Akechi and she had to return to her parents' home, Ikoma mansion. There, she met Nobunaga and Nobunaga fell in love with her. Therefore, she became his concubine and gave birth to Nobutada, Nobukatsu, and Princess Toku. According to the Nobunaga official record, Nobunaga officially married Nouhime, the daughter of Dosan Saito from Mino district in 1547. However, the princess didn't bear child and there is not much record written about her, it can be assumed that the position of Kitsuno was higher than that of the official wife. Besides her beauty, what attracted Nobunaga so much was the maternal love inside of Kitsuno. Nobunaga didn't get enough affection from his mother even when he was a child, but always wanted it. Additional to it, the wealth and power of the Ikoma family must had been one of the attractive points. Kitsuno moved to Kori with castle in 1564, however, she died of ill two years later, and she was only 29 at that time. Although, Nobunaga was known as cruel, selfish, bellicose person, Kitsuno was always supporting him behind scenes. Her corpse was cremated and buried at Tashiro cemetery in Tashiro town. In spring cherry tree flower blossom in the cemetery quietly, and the figure resembles to Kitsuno. She was pale, sweet, and moderate. And she was always in shade of Nobunaga, encouraging him quietly. Kyusho Temple on Donkeizan, the sound of the fallen leaf and the wind echoes. This unmanned temple remains the air of the age of civil strife. This is Ikoma's family temple and named after the memory of love between Nobunaga and Kitsuno. In the west of the temple, excellent tombstone stands in line to tell the strong influence of the Ikoma family at that time. There is a tomb of Kitsuno, too. The fact Nobunaga gave Gomyo village to his son Nobukatsu as a reward to take care of the temple shows the deep affection toward Kitsuno." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV. Unlocking Noh To unlock Noh, you must first clear Ranmaru Mori's Story Mode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- V. Noh's Vital Statistics A. Skill Tree 1. Might Key Abilities: Life, attack Frenzy ---> Guts L: 158 L: 175 A: 65 A: 140 Reach ---> Resist L: 164 L: 175 A: 95 A: 140 Vigor ---> Pressure ---> Precision L: 167 L: 171 L: 175 A: 110 A: 125 A: 140 Rage ---> Vitality L: 155 L: 161 A: 50 A: 80 2. Prowess Key Abilities: Musou, defense Rally ---> Mastery M: 182 M: 190 D: 130 D: 170 Acclaim ---> Cavalier ---> Parry M: 173 M: 177 M: 190 D: 90 D: 110 D: 170 Pierce M: 190 D: 170 Drive ---> Potence M: 165 M: 186 D: 60 D: 150 3. Guard Key Abilities: Musou, speed Counter ---> Block M: 166 M: 190 S: 120 S: 170 Celerity ---> Grace M: 173 M: 190 S: 130 S: 170 Discern ---> Focus ---> Resilience M: 177 M: 182 M: 190 S: 140 S: 150 S: 170 Fitness ---> Fortitude M: 165 M: 186 S: 110 S: 160 B. Stats 1. Starting Attack: 53 Defense: 54 Ranged Attack: 65 Ranged Defense: 69 Mounted Attack: 56 Mounted Defense: 68 Speed: 100 Jump: 130 Agility: 120 2. Maximum Attack: 166 Defense: 188 Ranged Attack: 178 Ranged Defense: 198 Mounted Attack: 170 Mounted Defense: 198 Speed: 180 Jump: 170 Agility: 170 C. Titles Rank 1: Viper's Daughter Rank 2-4: Siren of Mino Rank 5-7: Nobunaga's Bride Rank 8-10: Sweet Venom Rank 11-13: Gifu Matriarch Rank 14-16: Deadly Beauty Rank 17-19: Venom Queen Rank 20: Demon's Wife ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VI. Using Noh A. Noh's moveset 1. Regular attacks S - A left-to-right sweep kick. SS - A left-to-right high kick. SSS - A backflip kick. +S(SSSS) - Adds up to four backflip kicks, finishing with a 180-degree slash with both claws. X + S - A flip and 180-degree slash with both claws. 2. Charge attacks T - Noh sets a bomb at her feet. It explodes 4 seconds later, hurling any nearby enemies into the air. +T - Noh throws a bomb. ++T - Noh throws two bombs. ST - Noh does a bicycle kick that knocks the enemy into the air. +T - Adds a double claw swipe. ++T - Adds a taunt. Noh creates an aura around herself that stuns any nearby enemies. Can damage prone enemies. SST - Noh leaps forward and does an axe kick, stunning any enemies she hits. +T - Adds a claw swipe. ++T(T) - Adds a spinning sweep attack and a bomb toss. The bomb breaks the guard of any enemies it hits. SSST - Noh does a double claw swipe, knocking away any enemies she hits. +T(TT) - Adds up to three crouching spin attacks before the double claw swipe. ++T(TT) - Adds up to three more spin attacks after the first three. These spin attacks knock any nearby enemies off their feet. X + T - Noh does a heel drop, knocking down any enemies in range. Can damage prone enemies. 3. Mounted attacks SSSS(SSSS) - A series of slashes to the right that ends with four claw thrusts. ST - An upward slash with the right claw. Knocks the enemy into the air. SST - A spinning kick. Stuns the enemy. SSST - A double claw swipe. Knocks the enemy away. 4. Other attacks Dash attack - A spinning attack with both claws. Knocks the enemy into the air. Counter attack - A spinning kick. Deadlock bonus attack - Noh does a spinning kick followed by a backflip kick, and finishes off by bending over backwards and impaling the enemy with one claw. Musou - Noh slowly walks backward, throwing bombs with every step. These bombs break the guard of any enemies they hit. True musou - Same as her regular musou, but adds a fire element and two spinning claw attacks. B. Maximizing Noh's effectiveness Noh's greatest weakness is her low attack power. What she lacks in raw power, however, she makes up for with her excellent speed, defense, and crowd control. She has fast attacks and a lot of moves that combo well, and you should take full advantage of all of them. Before obtaining a second weapon for Noh, make good use of her SST and SSST combos to manage crowds and use ST, SST, and SSSS when facing generals. As you find better weapons, SSTT(T) will become extremely effective against generals and smaller groups of peons. The bomb toss at the end will save you a great deal of frustration in fights with generals who block incessantly. SSSTT(T), however, should be your staple attack; it works well against lone enemies and crowds of all sizes. Use it as often as you can. Noh's musou does well at repelling crowds, but scoring large numbers of kills with it can be difficult. Rather than relying on it too heavily, I recommend spending the skill points to add elements to her SST(TT) and SSST(TT) combos. Save her musou for times when you're completely surrounded and need a few seconds of near-invulnerability. Finally, there's a quirk to a few of Noh's attacks. When her T attack is used, she will sometimes plant a smoke bomb (which stuns enemies) instead of a regular bomb; when her TT(T) attack is used, she will sometimes hurl smoke bombs, +20 Musou recovery items, fireworks (which explode in midair), or duds (which bounce into enemies and damage them). As far as I can tell, she throws these special projectiles randomly; if anyone has evidence that suggests other- wise, please e-mail it to me. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VII. Noh's Weapons A. Tokage A short blade made to resemble a lizard. Base Attack 13 B. Kamakiri Claws made to resemble those of a praying mantis. Base Attack 23 C. Kumo Claws made from the legs of a giant spider. Base Attack 30 D. Mukade Claws made from the hide of a giant centipede. Base Attack 41 E. Hiruko A cursed arm with the power to maim gods. Base Attack 46 Element: Night Bonuses: Life +28, Defense +49, Speed +35, Attack Range +43 1. Obtaining the Hiruko Where To Get It: Betrayal at Honnouji (upper path) How To Get It: Defeat Nobunaga Oda in the first 5 minutes of the battle. Where It Is: In the hands of a supply team. They appear by the west central stronghold and head for the stronghold in the southeast. How I Did It: As soon as the battle began, I headed south and dispatched the Defense Captain in front of the western entrance to the temple courtyard. I then headed inside for Nobunaga Oda and killed him just under 3 minutes into the battle. I received the message that the supply team had appeared and left the temple through the west gate. I looped around to the north and east before going south, ignoring generals and reaching the southeast stronghold just in time to dispatch the supply team and claim the weapon. I retraced my steps to return to the west gate, defeating Oichi and Keiji Maeda and securing strong- holds as I progressed. I then headed south, eliminated Mitsuhide Akechi, and went straight for the escape point in the northeast to finish the battle. Using a rank 13 Noh with a +35 Solar Gem, a +33 Moon Stone, a +42 Power Bracer, a +34 Himiko's Rune, and the Matsukaze Saddle, I was able to finish the battle in exactly 22:30. Obtaining this weapon is a straightforward and relatively simple process. Chasing down the supply team is probably the hardest part of obtaining it, but should prove easy enough if you have a route planned ahead of time and equip a saddle or Tengu Sandals before starting the battle. I obtained this weapon accidentally, and just barely caught the supply team even though I took the longest possible route. I recommend heading south and east from the gate and waiting by the southeastern stronghold for the supply team. This will ensure that you don't miss them, and possibly even buy you enough time to wail on an officer or two before they show up. Once you've secured the weapon, let the real slaughter begin. 2. Is it worth using? In a word, no. Of all the bonuses on this weapon, the most useful one is attack range. The life bonus and night element are inconsequential, and the speed and defense bonuses aren't what Noh really needs. Look for a Mukade with an attack bonus and a fire or lightning element instead. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- VIII. Noh's Missions Throughout this section, the names of missions that are referenced by other missions will be enclosed in quotation marks. Missions about which special in- formation is available will be marked with an asterisk (*). A. The Battle of Okehazama 1. Smokescreen Description: Attack the Imagawa outpost! Trigger: Beginning of battle. Conditions for Success: The Defense Captains in front of both of the Imagawa outposts are defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A 2. Help Hideyoshi Description: Eliminate the enemies near Zenshouji fortress! Trigger: Completing "Smokescreen". Conditions for Success: The enemies around Zenshouji are defeated. Conditions for Failure: Hideyoshi Hashiba is defeated. 3. Lightning Battle Description: Attack the Imagawa main camp from the mountain pass! Trigger: Completing "Help Hideyoshi". Conditions for Success: You enter the Imagawa main camp. Conditions for Failure: N/A 4. Storm Warning Description: Eliminate Hanzo Hattori! Trigger: Setting foot in the northeast corner of the map with "Lightning Battle" active. Conditions for Success: Hanzo Hattori is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A 5. Old Friend Description: Eliminate Tadakatsu Honda! Trigger: Completing "Storm Warning" with Ieyasu Tokugawa alive. Conditions for Success: Tadakatsu Honda is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Ieyasu Tokugawa is defeated. 6. All will be mine Description: Eliminate all Imagawa officers! Trigger: Completing "Lightning Battle." Conditions for Success: All Imagawa officers are defeated. Conditions for Failure: Yoshimoto Imagawa is defeated before all of the other Imagawa officers have been defeated. 7. The Imagawa Description: Defeat the Imagawa Army's elite officers! Trigger: Failing "Help Hideyoshi." Conditions for Success: All Imagawa officers are defeated. Conditions for Failure: Yoshimoto Imagawa is defeated before all of the other Imagawa officers have been defeated. 8. Faster than Shadow Description: Do not let Hanzo Hattori overtake you! Trigger: Setting foot on the west side of the battlefield when "The Imagawa" is active and less than three enemy generals remain. Conditions for Success: You enter the Imagawa main camp before Hanzo does. Conditions for Failure: Hanzo enters the Imagawa main camp before you do. B. Siege of Inabayama Castle 1. One Night Castle Description: Defeat Bokuzen Ujie at Sunomata! Trigger: Beginning of battle. Conditions for Success: Bokuzen Ujie is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Dawn arrives (15:00 into the battle). 2. Get the Lumber Description: Defeat Morinari's unit at the west lumber storage! Trigger: Beginning of battle. Conditions for Success: Morinari Ando is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Dawn arrives (15:00 into the battle). 3. Clear the Fortress! Description: Guard the Siege Ramp! Trigger: 3:00 elapse. Conditions for Success: The Siege Ramp reaches the wall of the eastern lumber storage area. Conditions for Failure: The Siege Ramp is destroyed. 4. Ploy uncovered Description: Defeat the Saito blockade unit! Trigger: Hideyoshi Hashiba leaves the eastern lumber storage area. Conditions for Success: Yorisada Toki is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Dawn arrives (15:00 into the battle). 5. Reckless Charge Description: Defeat all Saito officers! Trigger: Completing "Ploy uncovered" before dawn. Conditions for Success: All Saito officers are defeated. Conditions for Failure: Yoshitatsu Saito retreats inside the castle or is defeated before all of the other officers have been defeated. 6. Path of Thorns Description: Defeat Yoshitatsu Saito's unit! Trigger: Failing "Ploy uncovered" or not triggering "Ploy uncovered" by the time dawn arrives. Conditions for Success: Yoshitatsu Saito is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A 7. Talented Youth Description: Eliminate Ranmaru Mori! Trigger: Meeting Ranmaru Mori on the 1st floor. Conditions for Success: Ranmaru Mori is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Progressing to the 2nd floor without defeating Ranmaru. 8. Clever Tactician Description: Eliminate Hanbei Takenada! Trigger: Meeting Hanbei Takenada on the 3rd floor without defeating him during the field battle. Conditions for Success: Hanbei Takenada is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Progressing to the 4th floor without defeating Hanbei Takenada. 9. A Stern Man Description: Eliminate Mitsuhide Akechi! Trigger: Meeting Mitsuhide on the 3rd floor. Conditions for Success: Mitsuhide Akechi is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Progressing to the 4th floor without defeating Mitsuhide. 10. Way of the Viper Description: Eliminate Yoshitatsu Saito! Trigger: Meeting Yoshitatsu Saito on the 4th floor. Conditions for Success: Yoshitatsu Saito is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A C. The Battle of Anegawa 1. Vanguard Description: Protect Mitsuhide Akechi! Trigger: Beginning of battle. Conditions for Success: Kazumasa Isono and Masazumi Azai are defeated. Conditions for Failure: Mitsuhide Akechi is defeated. 2. Asakura's Fall Description: Defeat the Asakura Army! Trigger: One of Ieyasu Tokugawa's subordinates is defeated. Conditions for Success: Yoshikage Asakura or Kagetake Asakura is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Ieyasu Tokugawa is defeated. 3. Keiji's Stand Description: Provide support for Keiji! Trigger: Beginning of battle. Conditions for Success: The Mino reinforcements arrive (10:00 into the battle) with Keiji Maeda alive. Conditions for Failure: Keiji Maeda is defeated. 4. Stronghold Defense Description: Defend the southeast stronghold! Trigger: "Keiji's Stand" is triggered. Conditions for Success: The Mino reinforcements arrive (10:00 into the battle). Conditions for Failure: The enemy secures the southeast stronghold. 5. Side Attack Description: Assist the Tokugawa army's detour! Trigger: Both of Ieyasu Tokugawa's subordinates are defeated. Conditions for Success: Yasumasa Sakakibara reaches the northwest fortress. Conditions for Failure: Ieyasu Tokugawa is defeated. 6. The Weak and the Strong Description: Eliminate Yoshikage Asakura! Trigger: Completing "Side Attack." Conditions for Success: Yoshikage Asakura is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A 7. Tearful Revolution* Description: Eliminate Nagamasa Azai quickly! Trigger: Yoshikage Asakura retreats or is defeated. Conditions for Success: Nagamasa Azai is defeated with Oichi alive. Conditions for Failure: Oichi is defeated. * This is Noh's branchpoint mission. Completing it successfully will open her upper path; failing it will open her lower path. D. Betrayal at Honnouji (upper path) 1. Head for the Main Hall Description: Head to the main hall before the flames spread! Trigger: Beginning of battle. Conditions for Success: You reach the main hall in 7:55 or less. Conditions for Failure: You take more than 7:55 to reach the main hall. 2. Black Widow* Description: Defeat Nobunaga Oda quickly! Trigger: Completing "Head for the Main Hall." Conditions for Success: Nobunaga Oda is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A * Completing this mission in under 5:00 will trigger the appearance of a supply team that carries Noh's 5th weapon. 3. Fiery Escape Description: Escape from Honnouji at once! Trigger: Completing "Black Widow." Conditions for Success: You leave Honnuji. Conditions for Failure: N/A 4. Tragedy continues Description: Eliminate Oichi quickly! Trigger: Meeting Oichi while "Fiery Escape" is active. Conditions for Success: Oichi is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Leaving Honnouji without defeating Oichi. 5. Naivete Description: Eliminate Ranmaru Mori! Trigger: Meeting Ranmaru Mori after completing "Fiery Escape." Conditions for Success: Ranmaru Mori is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A 6. Impatience brings Death Description: Eliminate Mitsuhide Akechi! Trigger: Meeting Mitsuhide Akechi after completing "Fiery Escape." Conditions for Success: Mitsuhide Akechi is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A E. Gifu Infiltration (upper path) 1. Scurrying Vixen Description: Eliminate Kunoichi at once! Trigger: Meeting Kunoichi on the 1st floor. Conditions for Success: Kunoichi is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Kunoichi escapes, or progressing to the 2nd floor without defeating Kunoichi. 2. Chasing Viper Description: Eliminate Kunoichi at once! Trigger: Failing "Scurrying Vixen" and meeting Kunoichi on the 2nd floor while "Relentless Sniper" is active. Conditions for Success: Kunoichi is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Kunoichi escapes, or progressing to the 3rd floor with- out defeating Kunoichi. 3. Relentless Sniper Description: Eliminate Magoichi Saika at once! Trigger: Meeting Magoichi Saika on the 2nd floor. Conditions for Success: Magoichi Saika is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Magoichi Saika escapes, or progressing to the 3rd floor without defeating Magoichi. 4. An Honest Man Description: Eliminate Keiji Maeda! Trigger: Reaching the stairs to the 3rd floor. Conditions for Success: Keiji Maeda is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A 5. Doom, for you* Description: Eliminate Kunoichi! Trigger: Meeting Kunoichi on the 3rd floor without completing "Scurrying Vixen" or "Chasing Viper." Conditions for Success: Kunoichi is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Progressing to the 4th floor without defeating Kunoichi. * Completing this mission after failing "Relentless Sniper" will trigger the appearance of the Gold Incense in the northwest corner of the 3rd floor. 6. Gates of Hell Description: Eliminate Ranmaru Mori! Trigger: Reaching the stairs to the 4th floor. Conditions for Success: Ranmaru Mori is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A 7. Principle and Conviction Description: Defeat Magoichi Saika! Trigger: Completing "Gates of Hell" after failing "Relentless Sniper." Conditions for Success: Magoichi Saika is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A 8. Because... Description: Defeat Nobunaga Oda! Trigger: Reaching the 4th floor. Conditions for Success: Nobunaga Oda is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A F. Betrayal at Honnouji (lower path) 1. Show me the Way Description: Rescue Nobunaga Oda quickly! Trigger: Beginning of battle. Conditions for Success: You meet up with Nobunaga Oda. Conditions for Failure: Nobunaga Oda's life is depleted. 2. Protector of Love Description: Defeat all enemies attempting to enter Honnouji! Trigger: Beginning of battle. Conditions for Success: Junkei Tsutsui, Shigetomo Akechi, and Nobuharu Tsuda are defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A 3. The Long Path Description: Escape from Honnouji with Ranmaru Mori! Trigger: Ranmaru Mori gives Nobunaga Oda directions to the escape point. Conditions for Success: Nobunaga Oda reaches the escape point with Ranmaru Mori alive. Conditions for Failure: Ranmaru Mori is defeated. 4. Thorns* Description: Eliminate Mitsuhide Akechi! Trigger: Nobunaga Oda meets up with Ranmaru Mori while "The Long Path" is active and with Mitsuhide Akechi alive. Conditions for Success: Mitsuhide Akechi is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A * Nobunaga's tendency to get distracted by the endless number of troops that pour forth from the stronghold directly north of Mitsuhide's position can make it rather difficult to obtain this mission. You can't capture the stronghold or defeat Mitsuhide to stop the troops from appearing, so you'll have to clear a path for Nobunaga as he advances. For best results, secure all of Mitsuhide's southern strongholds and defeat the squad leaders (the strongest enemies in each group of five) to make the lesser enemies retreat. If the enemies wear you down too quickly on higher difficulty levels, set the difficulty to Easy or Normal before attempting to complete this mission. G. Azuchi Infiltration (lower path) 1. Unsightly Beast Description: Eliminate Goemon Ishikawa! Trigger: Meeting Goemon Ishikawa on the 1st floor. Conditions for Success: Goemon Ishikawa is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Goemon Ishikawa escapes, or progressing to the 2nd floor without defeating Goemon. 2. Sniper's Passion Description: Eliminate Magoichi Saika! Trigger: Meeting Magoichi Saika by the stairs to the 4th floor. Conditions for Success: Magoichi Saika is defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A 3. Intruder! Description: Eliminate Hanzo Hattori! Trigger: Meeting Hanzo Hattori on the 4th floor. Conditions for Success: Hanzo Hattori is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Hanzo Hattori escapes, or progressing to the 5th floor without defeating Hanzo. 4. Tokugawa Menace Description: Defeat all Tokugawa officers! Trigger: Reaching the 5th floor after failing "Intruder!" Conditions for Success: Tadakatsu Honda and Hanzo Hattori are defeated. Conditions for Failure: N/A 5. The Interloper Description: Defeat Mitsuhide Akechi while protecting Nobunaga! Trigger: Reaching the 6th floor. Conditions for Success: Mitsuhide Akechi is defeated. Conditions for Failure: Nobunaga Oda is defeated. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IX. Questions & Answers Q: Why a Noh FAQ? A: It hadn't been done yet, and I think she's a fun character to use. Besides, it's been awhile since I last wrote a FAQ for a popular game. Q: Lady Noh is weak and pitiful. A: That's not a question, and it's half true at best. She may not have the highest attack power in the game, but she can be quite deadly once you learn how to use her combos effectively. Q: Why do you refer to the character about whom you wrote this FAQ as Nouhime in some places and (Lady) Noh in others? A: "Lady" is her proper title, and "-hime" is an honorific suffix that means "Lady" or "Princess" in Japanese. "Noh" and "Nou" are simply different ways of spelling her name. Therefore, "Nouhime" translates to "Lady Noh." Q: I fulfilled the requirements to obtain Noh's 5th weapon, but the supply team didn't show up! What gives? A: Make sure that you've already cleared Story Mode with Noh, that you're playing on Hard or Chaos difficulty, and that you personally defeat Nobunaga. Q: I keep dying/can't kill anyone! What should I do? A: Try reducing the difficulty first. If that doesn't work, use the Character Reset function to restore your character's stats to their original values. The strength of the enemies in each stage is based on your character's stats before bonuses from your equipped weapon and items. Therefore, a fresh character will encounter weaker enemies than a maxed character. Q: Your FAQ sucks! I've crapped out better FAQs than this! A: As soon as you find a way to upload excrement, you should post your wondrous creation for all to see. Q: I posted my FAQ, and every gamer on the planet thinks it's better than yours! Your FAQ really DOES suck! A: Congratulations! I am in awe of your superior FAQ-writing skills! Now go away. Q: This is the best FAQ I've ever read! You're a genius and a god among men, and I want to know more about you so that I can immortalize you! A: Yeah; I get that a lot. My contact info's listed below. Q: A: See the second sentence of my previous answer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- X. Special Thanks I would like to thank... ...KOEI, Electronic Arts, and Omega Force, for creating Samurai Warriors. ...the official Konan City website (http://www.city.konan.aichi.jp/english/index.html), for providing information on Nouhime and Nobunaga's relationship with her. ...Edward Chang, for writing a number of informative and well-organized Samurai Warriors FAQs. ...Matthew Hoffman (Manta@kupopolis.com), for explaining the meaning of Nouhime's name and why calling her "Lady Nouhime" was redundant. ...CJayC of GameFAQs, for posting this FAQ. ...Leo Chan of Neoseeker, for posting this FAQ. ...the folks at IGN, for posting this FAQ. ...you, for reading this FAQ. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- XI. Contacting Me If you want to get in touch with me, send an e-mail to mythrilwyrm@gmail.com. Be sure to put the word "FAQ" in the subject line of your e-mail, or I'm liable to mistake it for spam and delete it. I check my e-mail almost every day, so you should receive a reply quickly in most cases. I accept praise, additions, corrections, and constructive criticism, and will do what I can to answer any questions that aren't addressed in the FAQ. Please keep your e-mails polite and intelligible; I won't reply to rude, crass, or incomprehensible e-mails unless I'm in a really bad mood. If you provide me with information that I decide to add to the FAQ, you will be given credit for it. I also use AIM occasionally. If you want my Screen Name, ask for it via e-mail. Happy gaming!